Measurement of the handcoordination.

The validity and reproducibility of two simple coordination-tests, the spiraltest and nailtest were examined in 113 healthy subjects, 33 patients with Parkinson's disease and 24 patients suffering from cerebellar disorders. The performances of the healthy subjects decreased significantly with age but gender had no influence. The performances of the dominant hands were significantly better. At a specificity of 90% the sensitivity was about 70% for the nailtest and about 75% for the spiraltest. For the patients with Parkinson's disease the spiraltest was more accurate than the nailtest. Since reference values are available these tests can be useful in the diagnostic process if a patient is suspected of a coordination disorder of the hands. Furthermore they are likely to give a better impression of the course of a disease affecting the coordination than if only clinical judgment is used.